Show spoiled wedding cake e by mary gertrude sheridan I 1 M R M R M A M H 11 M 1 copyright 1918 2915 by W 0 chapman hungry are you asked mrs mra dale thrifty housewife and most ex cellena cook most starved arved Bt mum answered tip farrell dismally now this was a lie ile deliberate and lun uncalled called for or tip parrell farrell had no excuse tor for its utterance except being a prevaricator he was as well a thief and to mask his real intentions in getting a view of the house and Us its in perlor he be had played the role of the ravenous tramp mrs dale was smiling happy in love with all the world at that particular moment of her life for the next day was as to see her daughter eloise wedded to the man of her choice she was in her element preparing dainties for the wedding feast nothing was too good tor for the prospective bride and groom and a cake slightly scorched had bad been set aside as rejected here she ehe said to tip parrell farrell its it s not very good burned on the edge you see eee you are welcome to it now tip as said was not hungry but the cake was tempting he sunk his teeth into it auml lie he remarked if your poor cakes taste like that what must your good ones bel and munching the palatable gift he left the doorway lounged over to a shaded spot in a corner of the garden and after devouring the cake entire stretched himself out for a snooze the sound of human voices proceeding from a rustic bench near by aroused tip after a spell lie he sat up and listened la in a very few moments N dh d H how ow whery what do you fantl he knew that the pair were eloise dale and the bridegroom tobe to be eloise was crying prettily and her companion was kissing her tears aw am ay and striving to console her dont mind dearest he was saying soothingly I 1 I 1 hope to be able in ia time to buy you all the diamonds and pearls you want it that sobbed eloise its the injustice of it everybody knows that aunt lydia when she died wild said that the old heirloom the diamond and nd pearl ring was to be mine on my wedding day since uncle worrester Ilor rester has got so cross and pettish he wont hear bear of it lie ho says he never promised to give the ring but he did for mother says so aunt lydia said it would bring up all kinds of good fortune oh dearl dear oh ob dearl dear then her bar lover led her away trying to comfort her his arm around her waist and her bonny golden head bead up on his shoulder hm roi romance nancel I 1 say its quite touching commented tip I 1 I 1 in interested te that girl girls a mother treated me like a gentleman suppose I 1 re turn the compliment forrester is evidently the name of this old selfish I 1 ve got to keep my hand in at my trade so bo hol hoi tor for the tha forrester mansion and tip farrell blooming out as a philanthropist I 1 A whimsical idea in his bis not entirely bad mind tip scaled the fence mingled with a throng at a popular morry merry go round and proceeded to make some inquiries as to the residence of an old fossil of 1 the name of forrester iles hes easy observed tip in a satisfied isfried way as he prowled about the home of the miserly old recluse that night it was barricaded barricades barrica ded like a castle but that meant very little to tip the latter had observed a light in a wing of the house but the window shades were pulled tightly down A broad glint of radiance showed at the top however tip nimbly climbed a tree twenty feet from the ground he rested on a limb of the tree a clear prospect before him ile he could see forrester For reater at a desk lie he had bad money and papers before him tip smiled to himself lie he dere defended ended to the ground and possessed himself of vart varl ous oua unique tools he be carried concealed in the lining of his coat A window fastener noiselessly pried out a piece of lock deftly forced and this expert and philanthropist velvet shod crossed the threshold of the room As readily as an if an invited ghost tip sank into a chah at the side of the deck ills ul shadow fell ell across it and forrester Por reater looked up witha with wild tart start how where what do st stammered forth the old man astare this retorted tip tersely and one hand closed over a heap of bonds and cash choal and hla his other revealed a revolver and forrester cowered back go slow alow old man A cry or a move and you got get lead for your gold and tip thrust the artful ot of plunder into his pocket now then out with your jewelry jewelry mel mat vvo ive got cot to DO jewel 1 ry 17 oh yes yea you have disputed trip tip you ve got a ring set with diamonds and pearls an old family heirloom I 1 know v all about it produce wind and the weapon clicked ominously the old man was fairly paralyses paralysed with terror he groaned hla his hands trembled as an ho he unlooked unlocked a drawer la in the desk and took out an old tin box and from it produced an ancient ct circlet met with a largo diamond and some gome exquisite pearls pearls there were some other minor trinkets but to these tip paid oo no attention I 1 do not cot make maka of me a pau perl breathed the old man clasping his hands in desperation the few thou sands sanda in money and securities are all I 1 have old man spoke tip coolly ive got your wealth and I 1 mean to keep it unless j yost yes I 1 yes unless gasped forres ter eagerly unless you do just as I 1 say pay this can all be between us and you got get your bonds back or I 1 vanish and you are beggared usten listen and tip recited bin hl determination to secure the ring which the daughter of his kind almoner rightly owned you will n close it in a box directed to miss mies dale you will write to her here now a letter saying that you gladly send to her on her welling wedding day her rightful pro property porty yes yes and cheur then at the end of a week if I 1 find you have not tried to got get it back and act decent with the young lady I 1 will return to you the money and bonds oh will you surely return the moneet money pleaded the distracted forrester you have the word of an honorable man returned tip sternly and enjoying really the one redeeming act in his erratic life early the next morning a little box and a letter was left at the dale home by tip eloise went fairly wild over the coveted trinket and theaon the con granulating words of the relative estranged from her family tor for five years tip farrell made himself scarce and forrester sat on thorns and not net ties of suspense and hope for a week there was one glad gleam of new in terest in his bla life however eloise IQ had come to thank him for the ring a reconciliation had taken place and the old man emerged from his bia selfish sur ur liness one afternoon he was seated in his garden conversing with eloise and her husband who came often to see him when a voice called life hla name at the gate stood tip farrell he ex tended a package to the old man theres therea your goods all of them he said simply 1 I say ay my friend there a more than one kind of thit 18 in the world youve been the worst kind of a specimen 1 I 11 II stammered forrester yes stealing happiness from your own life and the lives of others for the love lore of money it looks though as if you had cut that out some keep it up As an humble instrument of bringing you to your senses in doing a good deed im halt half inclined to re form myself goodby good by 11 and tip farrell swung jauntily down the street and went out of the life of the charming young bride who never know knew what a spoiled wedding cake had done tor for her |